{"title":"Chirality Determination and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Phthalide Monomers in <i>Angelica sinensis</i>.","authors":"Shuai Zhang, Hong-Ting Luo, Ke-Xin Fan, Chun-Xia Liu, Zhao-Han Wang, Chu-Ning Huang, Yong-Heng Wang, Yi-Fang Li, Rong-Rong He, Xin-Luan Wang, Jian Zou, Xin-Sheng Yao, Hao Gao","doi":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00263","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00263","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Angelica sinensis</i>, commonly known as Dang-gui, is a renowned medicinal and edible plant. Phthalide monomers are the key bioactive components in <i>A. sinensis</i>, yet their optical purities and absolute configurations remain unclear. In this study, three new phthalide monomers (<b>1</b>-<b>3</b>) and 10 known ones (<b>4</b>-<b>13</b>) were isolated from <i>A. sinensis</i>; their chiral resolutions, absolute configurations, and anti-inflammatory activities were systematically elucidated. Our study summarizes the optical purity characteristics of phthalide monomer derivatives in Dang-gui, revealing that the optical purity of the derivatives is significantly influenced by the position of their chiral centers. When the chiral center is located at the six-membered ring or the <i>n</i>-butyl chain, the derivatization reaction exhibits no chiral selectivity, yielding racemates. In contrast, when the chiral center is at C-8 on the five-membered ring, the derivatization reaction shows significant chiral selectivity, favoring the formation of scalemic mixtures dominated by the <i>S</i>-configuration. This study provides critical insights for defining the stereochemistry of phthalides in <i>A. sinensis</i> and related species.</p>","PeriodicalId":47,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Natural Products ","volume":" ","pages":"1581-1590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pathompong Paomephan, Khadija Hassan, Marco Kirchenwitz, Sebastian Pfütze, Frank Surup, Ivana Císařová, Chuenchit Boonchird, Marc Stadler
{"title":"The Khamkhains, Neurotrophic Drimane-Type Sesquiterpenoids Derived from a Polyporaceous Basidiomycete Originating from Thailand.","authors":"Pathompong Paomephan, Khadija Hassan, Marco Kirchenwitz, Sebastian Pfütze, Frank Surup, Ivana Císařová, Chuenchit Boonchird, Marc Stadler","doi":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00669","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00669","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Eight unprecedented terpenoids were isolated from submerged cultures of a polyporoid basidiomycete originating from Thailand (which had been referred to as \"<i>Cerrena</i> sp.\" in a previous publication) by preparative chromatography. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. One of the compounds was crystallized, and its absolute configuration was established by X-ray crystallography. Among the isolated metabolites were several members of the rare nitrogen-containing drimane type and one dimeric drimane, which consists of a nitrogen-containing monomer and a regular monomer. The latter compound represents a hitherto unknown type of terpenoid natural product. The metabolites were subjected to a biological characterization, and some of them showed significant neurotrophic effects. Notably, several of the compounds significantly enhanced the outgrowth of neurites in PC12 cells when treated with 5 ng/mL nerve growth factor. On the other hand, they were devoid of significant cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":47,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Natural Products ","volume":" ","pages":"1840-1846"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12305638/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Antiosteoclastogenic Indole Alkaloids from the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus <i>Penicillium brefeldianum</i> GXIMD 02511.","authors":"Jiamin Wang, Rongfei Li, Miaoping Lin, Chunmei Chen, Xin Qi, Xuefeng Zhou, Yonghong Liu, Yanhui Tan, Xiaowei Luo","doi":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00425","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00425","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Eight new prenylated indole alkaloids, brefeldindoles A-F (<b>1</b>-<b>6</b>), G (<b>8</b>), and H (<b>11</b>), together with 17 known analogues, were obtained from the Beibu Gulf mangrove-derived fungal strain <i>Penicillium brefeldianum</i> GXIMD 02511. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Brefeldindoles A-F (<b>1</b>-<b>6</b>) are characterized as a rare class of indole-diterpenoid derivatives with uncommon 3-methyl-3-hydroxybutyl substituents in the benzene ring. Brefeldindole H (<b>11</b>) is the first example of an unprecedented 6/5/6/6/6/5-fused indole-diketopiperazine. Most alkaloids inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation in RAW264.7 macrophages at 20 μM. Preliminary structure-activity relationships are discussed. Compounds <b>5</b>, <b>6</b>, and <b>16</b> suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation without observed cytotoxicity in bone marrow macrophages (BMMs). Compound <b>5</b> significantly inhibited NF-κB activation, leading to the suppression of nuclear translocation of NFATc1 and downregulation of the expression of osteoclast-related fusion protein DC-STAMP. Our findings indicated compound <b>5</b> as a potential inhibitor of osteoclast differentiation for the treatment of bone destruction-related diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":47,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Natural Products ","volume":" ","pages":"1671-1683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144473417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gene Mining and Optimization of the Biosynthesis of Cannabidiol in <i>Fusarium solani</i> XG4-2.","authors":"Jiale Cui, Wenbo Wu, Shun Zhang, Shang Li, Changyixin Xiao, Sujuan Cui, Zichang Lu, Mengran Zhan, Yuzhe Ren, Yang Xie, Yunfeng Zhang, Xiaozhou Luo, Jing Yin","doi":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00298","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00298","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits various pharmacological properties, including antidepressant, antioxidant, antipsychotic, analgesic, and neuroprotective effects. However, the low natural yields of CBD and the restricted biosynthetic pathways currently limit its commercial viability and demand in the marketplace. This study evaluated the potential of 101 endophytic fungi from <i>Cannabis sativa</i> for biotransformation and CBD synthesis. Notably, strain XG4-2 (CGMCC 40476) stably produced 50.07 μg/L CBD in a basic medium and shared 99.42% ITS sequence homology with <i>Fusarium solani</i>, representing the first endophytic fungal reported to synthesize CBD. To enhance CBD production, a triple-strategy approach was implemented, comprising cocultivation with engineered <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, optimization of fermentation conditions, and the addition of host-derived plant inducers. This integrated strategy led to a significant increase in CBD yield, reaching 526.9 μg/L, a 9.52-fold enhancement compared to the initial output. Whole-genome sequencing of XG4-2 revealed 44 putative secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters and 23 genes potentially involved in CBD biosynthesis, indicating a unique metabolic pathway distinct from that of plants. This study demonstrates a novel approach for microbial CBD production by leveraging endophytic fungal resources, cocultivation strategies, fermentation optimization, and gene discovery. The findings provide a foundation for sustainable and efficient biotechnological production of CBD.</p>","PeriodicalId":47,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Natural Products ","volume":" ","pages":"1591-1604"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}